The Chase: Bradley Walsh asks Shaun Wallace 'what's happened?'
Bradley Walsh is said to be in for a towering pay bump to remain the beloved host of ITV's The Chase after intense contract negotiations.
Having become a household name since taking the reins of the hit quiz show back in 2009, Walsh has now reportedly been tempted with a nearly £4 million annual deal.
An insider relayed to The Sun on Sunday: "Bradley is one of the network's most popular presenters and is hugely likeable.
"During negotiations for his contract to be renewed, bosses at ITV were concerned he might quit if he wasn't happy with his package.
"There was a real concern he might walk away," they added.
Securing a hefty wage increase believed to be about half a million pounds a year, the decision to keep Walsh on board has sparked jubilation among his team.
As the source added: "The Chase is returning for its 16th year and Bradley is a much-valued host. Everyone at the show is delighted."
Locking horns with The Weakest Link at its inception, Walsh has stated his belief that The Chase outpaced its BBC adversary in the ratings battle with its more buoyant approach.
Elaborating to Radio Times, he explained: "'The Weakest Link' was a good show, but the problem with it was it was constantly putting people down and not being very pleasant.
"Our show is not like that. It's always a very uplifting show and you know we have a lot of fun."
Walsh reminisced about the warm reception The Chase received upon its debut. He revealed: "The amount of people that came up and said, 'Hey Brad - we've seen your new show. 'The Chase' is great.
"We really, really like it. It's the best thing we've seen for a long time. So much better than 'The Weakest Link',' which we were up against at the time," reports the Mirror.
Next up The Chase star will be joined by Brian Conley, Shane Richie and Joe Pasquale as they head on tour across the UK next year, bringing audiences performances inspired by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.
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The quartet, who are close friends, call themselves 'The Prat Pack' and will be backed by a 15-piece band for an evening "packed with jokes".
It follows a one-off show in March, which saw the four friends joined by the Barry Robinson Big Band at the London Palladium.
Sharing his excitement, Bradley, 64, said: "People are starved of our type of entertainment - songs, stories, jokes - and banter! It's an homage to the Rat Pack but brought up to the modern day, and it's a fantastic night.
"We are just thrilled. We all share the same dressing room - we're mates. We've known each other for so long now - and the show is about warmth and family - because we are. It's great, really great."
